A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia has actually been in effect since November. Now there are new attacks on both sides. They show how fragile the agreement is.
Around four months after the start of a ceasefire between the Hisbollah militia in Lebanon and Israel, there is a fire again on both sides of the border. According to its own statements, the Israeli military caught three rockets from Lebanon in northern Israel. Previously, the warning sirens had been heard in the Northern Israeli city of Metula. At first there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Such attacks will not allow Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz said. The people in the region have been promised security and that is exactly what would exist. The Israeli chief of staff Ejal Zamir promised a determined reaction. The armed forces have been instructed to massively act against dozens of “terrorist goals”, confirmed Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel reacts to “terrorist goals” with counterattacks
In the evening, the Israeli military announced that he had attacked further goals of the Hezbollah militia. According to Lebanese information, these concentrated in particular on the south and east of the country, and the coastal city of Tyros was also affected. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, a person was killed there, so seven people were also injured.
According to official information, at least five people, including a young girl, were killed by Israeli shelling at noon. At least other eleven people were injured. According to the Lebanese state agency NNA, Israel's military grabbed several places with artillery, tanks and machine guns, fighter jets flew over the area.
The army said to proceed against positions of the Hisbollah militia. The Hezbollah TV broadcaster Al-Manar reported more than 20 air strikes in the south. From security circles, the Israeli army said a place near the city of Nabatija with artillery.
Lebanese president calls for more pressure from UN
The militant Islamist Hisbollah rejected a participation in the rocket attacks on Israel. The attack on Saturday morning was “primitive”, said a high-ranked Hisbollah official, who did not want to be named, the AP news agency. The Hisbollah was not responsible for this. From Lebanese security circles, on the other hand, it was said that the first militia attacks on Israel have been at the end of November since the beginning of the existing ceasefire.
The Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the Lebanese military to take all the necessary measures in the south. Without naming them, Salam indicated that the Hezbollah militia should not trigger war with Israel, because “only the state can determine war and peace”. He also called for the UN to increase the pressure internationally to get Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.
The Hisbollah supported by Iran had shot down with rockets for more than a year since the beginning of the Gaza War in October 2023. According to her own statements, she wanted to support Hamas. Israel replied with massive air raids and a soil offensive.
Committee for monitoring the ceasefire contacted
A ceasefire has actually been in the case since November. This provides for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of Lebanon. This has now largely been done, but there are still five Israeli military post near the border.
The Lebanese leadership evaluates the whereabouts of the troops as a violation of the agreement and protested several times. The news channel al-Arabija reported that she contacted the committee to monitor the ceasefire between the Hisbollah and Israel.
After the ceasefire with the Islamist Hamas factually ended with an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, worries are now growing in the Israeli-Libanese border area. The UN mission Unifil spoke of an “extremely fragile situation” and warned of a new escalation of violence.
